An Olympics Quiz and Nicole Basaraba

I admit to feeling a little jealous as I sat with fellow writers at the DFW Writers’ Conference, and they shared their tales of international travel and even living abroad. Meanwhile, my out-of-country trips add up to the number 1. Some college friends and I spent a week in Mexico City more than 20 years ago on spring break. It was a terrific experience, but I have yet to check off all the other destinations I have on my must-see list.

By the beauty of the internet, however, I feel in touch with the world. For instance, I have interacted several times with the fabulous Nicole Basaraba, a Canadian living in Belgium. On her Uni-Verse-City Blog, Nicole writes about travel, books, and living in the capital city of Europe (Brussels). Recently, Nicole wrote the following:

Since I finished the first draft of my novel for the Round of Words in 80 Days writing challenge, I’ve been working on some diverse projects such as competing to be a Samsung Global Blogger for the 2012 Olympics in London!

Representing Belgium (and Canada too of course), I would be tweeting, blogging and vlogging. That’s right, vlogging during the Olympics this summer to bring you the latest scoop and the most entertaining and funny stories I can dig up in London, which is also celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee!

Go, Nicole! But first, let’s see how Olympic savvy the rest of us are. Test yourself below to see if you’re ready for the upcoming sports extravaganza of the summer.

1. Which of the following is NOT a Summer Olympics event?
a. Water skiing
b. Team handball
c. Jiu-Jitsu
d. Badminton

3. The Olympic Torch Relay began on May 19 in Land’s End, London. However, each year the Olympic torch is lit at which of the following ancient locations?
a. The Temple of Hera
b. The Parthenon
c. The Colosseum
d. The Temple of Apollo

4. The Summer Olympic Games have already been awarded to a city for the year 2016. Which city will host the next Summer Olympics after London 2012?
a. Chicago
b. Madrid
c. Rio de Janeiro
d. Tokyo

5. Which of the following ladies should you cast a vote for in the Samsung Global Blogger competition?
a. Joan Rivers
b. Katie Couric
c. Me
d. Nicole Basaraba

Answers:

1. c. Jiu-Jitsu is NOT an Olympic sport, although Karate, Taekwondo, and Judo all are.

2. a. Queen Underwood recently qualified as a lightweight in the inaugural women’s boxing event for Team USA in the London 2012 Olympics.

3. a. The Olympic Torch is lit at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece. It is then transported to the host country where it starts the relay to its final destination to signal the beginning of the Olympic Games.

4. c. Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo all bid to host the Summer Olympics in 2016, but it will be Rio 2016 for the next Summer Olympics. The next two Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russian Federation (2014) and Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea (2018).

5. d. Obviously, you must vote for Nicole Basaraba.

Please take a moment to vote on Nicole’s finalist video submission. There are only a few days of voting left. Click on this link, Samsung Global Blogger Competition; then click toward the top left on Finalists. Toward the right corner, you will then see a “country of origin” search area. Enter “Belgium” and click again. Nicole’s picture is shown on the lower row, third from the left. Click her pretty face and you can see her fabulous video entry showing us around the Place de Luxembourg in Brussels. Then vote!

Whether you’ve traveled the world like Amerigo Vespucci or are lucky to take a trip to the local grocery store once a week, we can all enjoy an international feel when watching the Olympics. Best wishes to Nicole! And I hope you enjoy the Summer Olympics from wherever you are!

P.S. I was happy and humbled by two fabulous fellow bloggers chatting about moi this week. Check out these great posts:

Natalie Hartford: Urban Word Wednesday: Hairitude. Most Wednesdays I can be seen falling off my chair with laughter as I read Natalie’s Urban Word Wednesday posts. This time, she takes my neologism “hairitude” to a new level. Awesome!